𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐰 ❅ 𝐥𝐨𝐤𝐢 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 - 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭!

"𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰; 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐲. 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫."

❅

A soft knocking wakes Belle up from her light slumber, jolting her into consciousness. She stretches her limbs slowly, instantly groaning as she regrets falling asleep on the floor at her now-stiff joints.

"I told you to go away," Belle shouts at the door.

"Don't worry, dear, it's only Mrs. Potts," a soft, feminine voice responds.

Belle backs away from the door slowly, only stopping when the backs of her knees hit the side of the bed.

As the wide golden doors to her room swing open, a cart carrying an ornate teapot rolls into the room on its own accord.

"Oh! Aren't you just a vision," the teapot exclaims. "How lovely to make your acquaintance. I'm Pepper Potts, but most people just call me Mrs. Potts."

The cart comes to a stop in the middle of the large bedroom, revealing a small, slightly chipped teacup behind Mrs. Potts. The teapot quickly picks up on Belle's obvious unease and discomfort, and her expression turns into one of gentle, motherly kindness.

"I'm sure it's been a very long day for you, darling. Let me fix you up a cup of tea," she says, shuffling around to face the teacup behind her. "I have found that most troubles seem less troubling after a bracing cup of tea."

As she pours a delicious looking blend of tea into the teacup in front of her, Belle can't help but let out a small smile at the motherly affection that has always been so absent in her own life.

"Careful now, Peter," Mrs. Potts scolds as the teacup scoots off of the tray and makes his way over to where Belle is standing.

"Pleased to meet you!" Peter cheerily exclaims as Belle gingerly picks him up off of the floor. "Want to see me do a trick?" He asks, and--without waiting for an answer-- scrunches his half teacup, half human looking face/features and blows a small bubble.

"Peter!" Mrs. Potts scolds, but the young boy/teacup (listen, you've got to cut me some slack here--narrating a bunch of animate yet inanimate objects is very difficult) only grins. "That was a very brave thing that you did for your father, darling."

"Yes," Wanda suddenly cuts in from across the room. Belle suddenly jumps at the wardrobe's sudden words, as she had assumed that she was still asleep. "We all think so."

"I'm worried about him," Belle confesses quietly, feeling oddly comfortable and safe in this room filled with a singing wardrobe, a talking teapot, and her mischievous teacup son. "He's never been on his own."

"Cheer up, darling," Mrs. Potts consoles. "Things will turn out in the end. You'll feel much better after dinner."

"Dinner?" Belle repeats. "But he said, 'if she doesn't eat with me, then she doesn't eat at all.'"

"People say lots of things out of anger. It is our choice whether or not to listen. You coming, darling?"

"Go," Wanda adds, gesturing towards the doorway as best as she can.

Belle smiles softly as she tentatively follows behind the cart carrying Mrs. Potts and Peter, unsure of how to react to the first real motherly affection that she has ever recieved in her life.